Spinosaurus
For the user-made Mysterious Map Marvels pack animal, see List of Mysterious Map Marvels pack animals. Spinosaurus was a large predatory dinosaur well known for its appearances in the film ''Jurassic Park III'' and the fact it was bigger than the presumed largest predatory dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus and Gigantosaurus. Besides featuring in Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs, the Spinosaurus has also appeared in the Mysterious Map Marvels games Jurassic Park Pack and Cretaceous Calamity for Zoo Tycoon 2. The name Spinosaurus derives from the fact that the dinosaur had a large flap of skin protruding from its back that was held up by elongated vertebrae, and was probably used to make the animal look larger to rivals or perhaps colour could be flushed through the structure to attract a mate. Similar structures can be seen on the backs of the ornithopod Ouranosaurus, the sauropod Amargasaurus, and the pelycosaur Dimetrodon. But recent discoveries reveals that Spinosaurus and Ouranosaurus, both have a hump. Description Spinosaurus (meaning “spine lizard”) is a genus of bipedal theropod dinosaur from the middle Cretaceous, about 95 to 93 million years ago. Its distinctions include being one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs, rivaling even Tyrannosaurus rex (at somewhere between 40 and 50 feet long, 16 to 20 feet tall, and 5 to 7 tons), having large bones extending from the vertebrae up to 6 feet long. These spines most likely had skin or a membrane stretching between them, forming a sail-like structure. Spinosaurus provides the name of a family of dinosaurs, the spinosauridae, of which other members include Angaturama, Baryonyx, Irritator, Suchomimus, and Siamosaurus. Much mystery surrounds the nature of this animal. First of all, although it has been well-known to dinosaur enthusiasts because of its unusual features, even before it was popularized by its role as main antagonist in Jurassic Park III, it is mostly known through remains that have been destroyed, aside from a few more recently discovered teeth. Originally found in the Baharija Valley of Egypt in 1912, it was named by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1915. Some of the fossils were damaged during transport back to the Munich Museum in Germany, and the remaining bones were completely lost because of Allied bombing in 1944. Also, the purpose of its sail is unclear. Scientists have suggested it could have been used to regulate temperature, or to attract mates, or to intimidate rivals. However, the use of such an odd structure can probably only be based on speculation. The fact that other, unrelated animals, such as the herbivorous dinosaur Ouranosaurus and the mammal-like reptile, Dimetrodon, which lived at the end of the Paleozoic Era, before the dinosaurs even appeared, also possess this structure makes its role in relation to evolutionary development perplexing. Lastly, its diet remains a topic of debate. In Jurassic Park III, it is portrayed as a lethal and dangerous killer, even winning a battle with a Tyrannosaurus. However, despite its large size, it was more lightly built than Tyrannosaurus and other theropods, and its elongated jaws and thin, conical teeth suggest it may have largely eaten fish, or else fed on carrion, rather than being a hunter of large prey. In Zoo Tycoon While they are not available in the original Zoo Tycoon, the Dinosaur Digs expansion pack adds them to the game. Spinosaurus are an adoptable dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous era. They are easily upset, and escape if given even the smallest of chances. They jump low fences, so they require a high fence to keep guests safe and Spinosauruses from running wild, although a sunken exhibit is also an option as long as the exhibit is at least two levels into the ground. They are capable of killing the Tyrannosaurus Rex, although they can be killed by it themselves. It eats most other animals and attacks all herbivores, especially if they are smaller than itself, and is not compatible with any other sort of animal. They are a very strong and dangerous predator, one of several elements that makes their upkeep rather difficult at times. Players are recommended to take many precautions when building a Spinosaur exhibit. The main biome for Spinosaurus is Coniferous Forest. They generally like a large amount of rocks in their habitat, like the Large Rock and Coniferous Rock Formation, as well as several plants such as the Yew Tree and Norfolk Island Tree. There should be about one hundred squares of space, or 10x10 per Spinosaur. The terrain should have about 25% grass, and a bit of dirt and water. This should be ideal for the dinosaur, keeping it happy and preventing it from rampaging as long as other standards are met, such as having a Dino Cave for shelter. They require a high happiness to breed, making them a bit difficult to keep, although once they reach this point, they have a high reproduction rate. Unfortunately, there is a ten month interval before the dinosaur can produce another child. It takes them three months to grow from the child stage to adult, and a twenty four month lifespan, leaving twenty one months of adulthood and only two points in time during which they can reproduce. The Spinosaur lays eggs, each of which takes fifteen days to hatch. Each reproduction cycle can only bring a maximum and minimum of just one egg, furthering the already great difficulty of obtaining more Spinosaurs. More impatient Zoo Tycoon players may simply buy more Spinosauruses, each being $4,100, although this is not recommended. Oftentimes, a Spinosaur itself will be content with only having one or two other Spinosaurs in its exhibit, though it will be unhappy alone. The Spinosaurus is incorrectly depicted as having an allosaurid-like head, despite the fact they were more crocodilian in shape. Spinosaurus also most likely inhabitated coastal regions, rather than Coniferous Forests. In Zoo Tycoon 2 While Spinosaurus doesn't exist in plain Zoo Tycoon 2, several downloads can be found for it scattered over many Zoo Tycoon fansites, the most notable Spinosaur download being one available from Mysterious Map Marvels. However, there is a glitch for this download where Spinosaurus may get stuck in the roof of its shelter. Zoo Tycoon 2: Jurassic Park Pack In the user-made expansion Jurassic Park Pack, Spinosaurus is depicted as it appeared in Jurassic Park III. It will engage in a "Death Duel" with Tyrannosaurus when the two dinosaurs meet, similar to the battle seen in the movie. Usually, Tyrannosaurus will be the victor of these battles. Zoo Tycoon 2: Cretaceous Calamity In Cretaceous Calamity, Spinosaurus is a wetlands-dwelling dinosaur, closer to its real biome. It accurately has a long crocodile-like snout, and from screenshots appears to be dark green with a lighter green sail. An animatronic Spinosaurus is also available. Other Spinosaurus was also made by UT2. There are 3 versions, an old one with a sail, a desert-colored with a hump and a more bright colored Spinosaurus, also with a hump. All of the aren't released yet. Galery Spinosauros(eating).png Spinosauros(laying).png Spinosauros(staying).png Spinosauros(walking).png Category:Dinosaur Digs animals Category:Extinct animals Category:User Made animals Category:Dinosaurs Category:Jurassic Park Pack Category:African Animals Category:Land dinosaurs Category:Theropods Category:Carnivores Category:Downloads Category:Zoo Tycoon 2 animals Category:Mysterious Map Marvels animals